Just ordered a Whistler TRX-1 any advice?

[JCC87]

I've just ordered one of these things even though I've heard it's not a device for beginners like me. I've only owed my first analogue for 6 weeks and wanted to upgrade to digital. There's no great individual YouTube video on how to use it in the UK but piecing together from the handful that are out there I need to use the limit search rather than service search because that's set to US. Is that correct? The menus can be a bit counter-intuitive from what I've seen. I pick up things fast but is there anything that might confuse the hell out of a beginner like me?

[G4RMT]

Yes - the US band plan and their sections and users aren't any use here. The best bit of course is the ability to load in data off the internet - so getting good with that is probably first on the list. Their terminology is also on the list to digest - so the old ideas about search, then store into a memory are a bit more tricky - you can find things but they need naming and putting in the rights sections. You will get it - but it is HARD at first, and worse still, you need to keep doing it or you forget exactly how to do it. Sensitivity and selectivity is good. Bad bits are the start up time - it takes ages and multiple button presses, and if you get carried away with the whistler version of lockouts, you can end up with loads of frequencies on the 'don't listen' list and every now and again need to purge them and start again - especially if you zapped one for interference when you are mobile or away from home, and then move away from the interference!

[gmanbelfast]

I am using the WS-1098 and love it. I had considered upgrading to either a TRX-1 or a TRX-2 but the only really feature I would gain is NXDN which I have not come across yet here in Northern Ireland.

When I first used this scanner I could not get my head around it but within a few hours I had it programmed up with quite a few frequencies, then with the programming software i was able to import my spreadsheet and wallah, my radio was loaded up with several hundred freqs and alpha tagged etc.

This really is a great scanner for searching out new things, especially Digital stuff.Set the scanner to RECORD in Search Mode then set up a search range, say 420.0000 to 470.0000 then set it to find DMR only, leave it running while you are out for the day, come back and press FUNCTION + 6 to see what you have sound, this will list all digital freqs it has found and collect colour codes, time slots, TGs and RIDs etc.

I use my scanner with a Diamond X50, it does suffer from some intermod from pagers on VHF but other than that the signals come booming in, loud and clear. I have heard that the TRX-1 and 2 have a better front end.

All in all this really is the best scanner I have personally used, once you get your head around the menus you will be flying.

I recommend getting a good quality Class 10 SD Card, this will help speed up the scanner when you have several hundred frequencies stored.

Hint: Learn to use the Function Keys.

[G4RMT]

That's a very good point and I totally missed it! I didn't know it did that, so thanks for the tip.

[jimh]

Some great advice posted already.....

Been using a TRX1 for over a year now and it's great: maybe not the best for searching for new signals, but great at scanning known channels. Learn the Fn+0 keypress. But as gmanbelfast points out, there is a fantastic feature of being able to set a limit search pick DMR and/or NXDN only, and you can let it run and it will hunt out all digital signals in the band. It doesn't work that well for this on auto mode/analogue as it'll hit on a signal, and must be manually forwarded on each time (there is no auto timeout seen on other scanners, such as uniden). DMR simplex is as good as a transceiver (the Unidens are awful). NXDN is great too (the Unidens don't cover this - yet). Pity the TRX only searches one band at a time. Spectrum Sweeper is ok, but not as good as Uniden Close Call (DMR simplex being the exception).

SD cards: tried loads on my Unidens and TRX1: I think this is the best I've come across to date: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDSDQQ ... -032g-g46a

Programming with a spreadsheet: the trick is to learn how to setup a template, write all the scanner channels you want to the spreadsheet, CTRL+C the list including the header, then import into EZScan (Ezscan>Conventional Freqs>Import From Clipboard) This helped me a lot....I've added some examples for Short Term Hire freqs too: http://www92.zippyshare.com/v/lj73YQmm/file.html
I recommend building a larger number of small scanlists vs a small number of long lists....they'll load quicker, and you can switch scanlists on and off.

Recording: I default all channels to record audio to the SD card. Under the audio tab in EZScan, this allows you to review, playback, sort all the recordings on your SD card. Hint learn to use the EZScan>Audio>Copy functionality. It'll copy all he recordings to your PC/laptop, but also sort them into folders as per the Alpha Tag on the channel. Great for offline analysis. You can also just copy the raw .au audio recordings off the SD card too.

There's also a great little tool called Auparse http://www.starrsoft.com/Public/scanner/AUParse.zip to help with analysis of recordings.Info here:
https://forums.radioreference.com/whist ... ost2730421

HTH

Jim

[JCC87]

Well it arrived today and I've been using it for a couple hours in limit search mode and I haven't picked up bugger all. Not even an analogue signal. Seems to be scanning very slow too. Can you change the step?

EDIT: I just caught the end of a DMR transmission. At least I know it's working!

[Metradio]

Where abouts are you located?

Mike

[JCC87]

Where abouts are you located?

Mike

Torpoint, Cornwall Pretty much Plymouth

[Metradio]

If you are reasonably sited there should be plenty to listen to..

Mike

[JCC87]

If you are reasonably sited there should be plenty to listen to..

Mike

Yeah probably doesn't help that I started at 5pm. Hopefully pick up more during the day tomorrow.